There are women you meet and immediately want to know more about.
For our Women of Grass-Fields series this week, Christelle sat down with Natalie to hear more about the woman behind the career.
When Christelle, co-founder of Grass-Fields, met Natalie Ojevah, it became one of those conversations. What started as a conversation about work and life quickly opened up into something much bigger, into her sharing her personal story of growing up without a clear blueprint, finding confidence, learning to take up space and, ultimately, deciding to bet on herself.
Natalie is a Senior Proposition and Strategy Manager at a bank, where she runs programmes supporting founders to build and grow their businesses. But before she found herself in that position, there was a younger Natalie who knew she wanted more without necessarily knowing what that more looked like.
We wanted to know where that journey began.
What did you imagine your life would look like when you were younger?
Now, that's such a good question. I'll be honest I don't know what I thought my life would look like I think when I was growing up I was very confident with myself I knew that I wanted more for myself but I didn't know what that more would look like; I didn't have anyone that did a 9 to 5, I didn't have those role models so I guess in terms of what my opportunities looked like, I didn't have much.
People would say singer, people would say an actor, but that wasn't what was my calling. But at that time, I just didn't really know.
what did you think you would do when you were younger?
To be honest, I do not think I actually knew.
I came from what people would call a lower socio-economic background right so my parents didn't work a nine-to-five my mum wasn't employed so actually my role models that were my day-to-day they didn't necessarily show me a path that interested me or excited me. So yeah I guess looking back I didn't know really what I wished life would be like for me when I'm older.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career?
Oh, I love this question. I think for me it would be mindset, when my mindset changed. And I say that because there feels like there was two different versions of Natalie, right?
So there was that early version that I came into banking and finance and I didn't really know how to work the game. I didn't really know how to progress myself and really make myself visible. I think for me that changed when I stopped putting limitations on myself and actually saying whilst I might not look like other people that are here, I can bring something completely different to the table. So I think for me it was the mindset shift and understanding that my difference actually is my superpower.
What actually happened that made you have that mindset shift?
I think it was the point that I realised that actually I can do much more than what I'm putting myself down to and I'll explain what actually happened.
So I was around 24 at the time, was looking for my promotion and I remember I was speaking to a senior leader of mine to say that I wanted this, right?
And at that moment in time, she kind of said, "I don't think you're ready. I think you're quite young and I think you just need a few more years on your belt". Now, I remember sitting there and being like, I've been through more at 24 than you could actually imagine. You just don't know my story. And then that's when I realized that I need to stop putting other people's limitations on myself, but also my own limitations on myself.
So I think, that was probably the point where I was like, I can do this. And if I pour into myself and I can say that I can do it, then I can 100% do it. So for me, it was that mindset shift. And that was probably the first point that I said, yeah, Nat, bet on me. Watch this.
What happened? Did you get the promotion?
I got the promotion and I got my assistant vice president role.
And to be honest, that for me feels like that second half of Natalie that we were talking about earlier. I had the confidence because I'd shown that I could do it. I proved it to myself. And from there, actually, I launched our first black founder program in the bank. And again, that was bred from understanding more needed to be done for the black community and realising that I have a position of power where I am to hold the business accountable. So that's exactly what I did.
And your older version obviously could not carry that, right?
Ah, the old version wouldn't have been ready for that. It's a mindset thing right I think I carried so much limitations on myself thinking I'm youngest in the team I'm the only one that looks like me and actually that means that I'm not valuable so I don't think I would have been able to carry that and pour the right type of energy into it as well that it needed at the time; so, I needed to really be able to see how I saw myself to be able to pour better into the community.
What does confidence mean to you now?
To be unapologetically myself. I think there was many points in my life where I tried to mask or fit in where I thought would make sense.
Being confident is being authentically myself. I am that mouthy South East girl from South London, proud of that and actually that's my superpower so yeah being as bold as brave and as bright as I always was meant to be.
What would you tell a woman who feels like she's behind in life?
I actually really love this question because it's a question that I talk to my friends about a lot and comparison is the biggest thief.
I would say that to compare yourself to other people's journey, your journey is not the same. Everyone's timing is completely different. So one of the things that I have learned is for women that feel behind, change that mind frame to asking yourself these questions: Where are you now? Where do you want to go? And actually, what is it that you're learning today? Because your circumstances could change in a moment.
And behind as well, I feel it's very quite subjective. Because your definition of behind might not when we're looking at the different categories on the tip top of our lives we have different categories that are open 100 so you're comparing one thing to something else and you don't know when you're going to leave this planet earth and you don't know what assets you are already sitting on that somebody else is also looking at, so build your paradise within what 100%.
And I think, going back to that, it is the legacy you want to build. Because like you said, we don't know how long we have here. Some people might have 20 years, some people might have 60. But actually, what is the legacy that you've left in that time? And I think that's the most important question. Not am I behind? What is the legacy that I'm building?
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Women of Grass-Fields is a community and a space for women to exist fully, be seen, and be celebrated in every stage of their becoming. Tell us in the comments: what part of Nathalie’s story felt like your story too?
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